SolarCity hiring workers as it expands in California

SolarCity, the San Mateo-based provider of solar systems, has opened 10 new operations centers in California, bringing its total number of locations in the state to 24.

The big expansion means the company is hiring. It has at least 260 job openings, 90 of them in the Bay Area. The positions range from installers to electricians to sales representatives, a spokeswoman said in an email. The openings are located in existing centers as well as the new ones.

The expansion “allows us to reduce our costs and environmental impact by decreasing drive times and increasing installation efficiency,” said Tanguy Serra, executive vice president of operations, in a news release.

There are four new centers in the Bay Area: Livermore, Martinez, Morgan Hill and Petaluma.

Photo: SolarCity workers install a solar panel on the roof of a residential building in San Francisco in 2009. (D. Ross Cameron/Bay Area News Group)

Looks like SolarCity will be expanding into Victorville, CA. That’s Solar Home’s backyard. Solar Home’s pricing is nearly half of what SolarCity’s is, and many of Solar Home’s systems offer higher per performance for far less money. Plus, Solar Home offers several $0 down solar loan options that offers tax deductible interest (solar leases and PPAs do not.)

In addition, with Solar Home, you’ll get to keep the 30% federal tax credit with system ownership for a much greater return on your investment. And here’s something else SolarCity doesn’t offer, the option of assisted DIY installation where your cost for an installed system can be well below $1.80 a watt before incentives. Even completely installed systems with Solar Home run well below $2.90 a watt before incentives.

And don’t forget about San Bernardino County’s brand new $0 down HERO financing program with no FICO score checks that allows you to re-pay your solar financing through your property tax bill with no payment due until November 2014. Let the price war begin.